1. Field
This disclosure generally relates to geographic information systems (GIS) and in particular to displaying nodes in a three-dimensional environment.
2. Background
A GIS is a system for archiving, retrieving, displaying, or manipulating data indexed according to a data element's geographic coordinates. A data element may be a variety of data types such as, for example, satellite imagery, maps, models of buildings and terrain, and other geographic features. GIS applications communicate with a server to retrieve data that is requested for display on a client device.
A client device may display unique objects in a geographic information environment. For example, the client may display the White House at its designated address. In contrast, some objects that are displayed in the geographic information environment are not unique. These objects may appear multiple times at different locations within the geographic information environment. For example, thousands of trees in a forest may be displayed in the geographic information environment. The client device may take a long time to display these trees in a view that satisfies the user. Usability of GIS applications depends on displaying content quickly and smoothly.